GAIN THE COMPETITIVE EDGE
Science Behind Peak Performance
THE NEW SECRET OF ELITE ATHLETES
Performance Science
In sport’s elite, the difference between winning and losing, success and failure, is small.
In the pursuit of closing that gap, athletes and their coaches have traditionally worked hard to achieve improvements in each discipline, such as sports science, biomechanics, strength and conditioning, physiology, psychology, recovery, and nutrition.
However, nothing in athletic performance works in isolation; it requires a multi-disciplinary approach. And this is the principle of performance science.
Performance science systematically integrates existing knowledge, latest practices and advanced technologies into a new methodology. The result is athletes with the potential to be faster, stronger, more agile, more resilient and more competitive for more years.
From indoor sports, such as basketball and volleyball, to outdoor sports like rugby league and soccer, and even action sports such as surfing and downhill mountain bike, from amateurs to Olympic gold medallists, performance science is becoming the science trusted by sport’s elite.

Stephen P. Bird, Ph.D
CSCS, RSCC*E, AEP, AES, RNutr, ASCA-L3, PCAS-P
Dr Stephen Bird is a world leading athletic performance influencer, leading the integration of performance science for sport’s elite.
He has worked with professional sports teams and international sporting organisations attending major sporting events, including Olympic Games (2008 Beijing and 2016 Rio), Commonwealth (Basketball Scotland), Rugby League World Cup (Scotland Rugby League), and UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and World Championships (Australia and Indonesia national team).
Stephen has worked with teams in the National Rugby League, National Basketball League and Women’s National Basketball League, along with High Performance Coaching and Athlete Development roles for PNG Sports Foundation, Basketball NSW and Basketball WA.
Known as the Coach of Coaches, Stephen’s work in elite sports conditioning, athlete recovery and performance optimisation bridges the knowledge gap between theory, science and applied training for coaches and athletes.
Stephen’s experience can assist you to realise your performance potential.
I have a passion & desire to see others succeed and reach their full potential.
INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCE SCIENTIST
Trusted by sport’s elite
Dr Stephen Bird is a well-known author, speaker and researcher with expertise in elite athlete preparation and nutritional supplementation.
Publications
Documentary
In the news


The Perth Wildcats are one of the most travelled teams of any sport in the world and your expertise and knowledge significantly contributed to our team to being one of the most well prepared team in the league. In particular Dr Bird’s expertise in providing protocols for fatigue monitoring and recovery management will continue to assist the Wildcats in continuing to be a leader in the NBL in the future.
I thought your presentation was truly one of the best presentations that I have seen at the national conference. This is evidence based information. This is what should be presented at our conferences. This is how we educate the uneducated! Thanks again for the presentation.
I had the pleasure of attending your talk at the National NSCA conference. The best talk by far this year, it was great to see some of the athlete monitoring you do/did with the Indonesian Olympic team.
Whilst completing my Masters under Dr Bird’s guidance he helped me simplistically understand research and the academic world. He educated me and helped build my research skills and academic writing which allowed me to co-author my first academic paper. Dr Bird continues to play a mentoring role in my career.
Dr Bird provided us with valuable information about our bodies and how they can better be managed. I believe that his presentations, specifically on recovery, nutrition, and individualised fatigue and strength monitoring, allowed me to continue feeling physically fresh throughout the gruelling season and travel schedule. His guidance allowed me to better understand my body and kept me healthy throughout the season.
Dr Bird’s pre and post training/competition nutritional supplementation protocols have given the players a better opportunity to maximise their training effectiveness.
Monitoring fatigue, recovery and performance is crucial in today’s game. The data collected and presented by Dr Bird gave me an accurate indication of my recovery status. I received quality feedback every time with the performance profiles showing me exactly where I needed to improve.
Dr Bird assisted our strength and conditioning program with the application of sports science and nutrition during the 2012 season. Directing our sport science research program, Dr Bird provided coaches and players with regular feedback related to fatigue monitoring and recovery management, educating the playing group on the importance of their data, and how this can and does assist them individually. This allowed coaching staff to better prepare and monitor the progress of players throughout the season.
Dr. Bird has come on board and served a great purpose to our organization. His expert knowledge and attention to detail on the basis of athletic performance, recovery, fatigue monitoring, and wellness was superior. Personally he helped me feel as close to 100% an athlete can mid-season after 10 of the first 14 games were on the road. His ability to manage my workload and recovery, nutritional supplementation, and other aspects of the day to day life of a professional athlete were instrumental in me getting through the season injury free and performing at my best.
I cannot thank Dr Bird enough for the work he has done with our squad. He added a level of professionalism and commitment our team has never seen with regards to recovery and mindset. He made sure we were prepared for each and every game during the Commonwealth Games and I wholeheartedly believe this was a key part in our success.
Birdy, the players and the club greatly appreciate your valuable time to provide all the assistance that is above and beyond anything ever asked of you. Your professionalism and expertise in performance science, fatigue and recovery management has been a major reason why we as a Club have gone from last place to a Grand Final berth in our first 2 seasons. I would also like to thank you for overseeing our player monitoring processes, as well as the education and mentoring of my physical performance staff to ensure that they are up to date with cutting edge sport science methods.
I would like to personally thank you for your recent involvement with our Senior Men National Team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia. The players and staff benefitted greatly from your knowledge, expertise and professionalism. I can honestly say that I have never worked with a more engaged professional. Not every academic can put theory in to practice, and even fewer can connect with players the way you did. I’m extremely proud and honoured that we engaged your services, without you on our staff we would not have achieved the incredible success we did, becoming the first ever Scottish team sport to reach a semi-final at the Commonwealth Games.
Birdy, you are an example to what trainers should aspire too. Full of energy and your ability to get on the players level and motivate them to be better is next to none. Always trying to push the limits is what you thrive in and I have learnt great things about incorporating functionality to the basketball game from the primer lifting sessions thanks to you. Appreciate you keeping me young and motivated.
Stephen, you taught me what it means to be a professional athlete. You taught me the building blocks one by one to make a better athlete every day and helped me gain the knowledge, physically and mentally, to become the best in the World. You were the piece of the puzzle that was missing in my results.